1998-11-28 Akhmed Kotiev w pts 12 Santos Cardona, Hanseatic Hall, Lubeck, Germany - WBO. Referee: Bill Connors. Scorecards: 115-112, 115-112, 116-112. Defending his title for the second time, Kotiev 146½) was up against a man who enjoyed a four-inch-reach advantage and knew how to use it. To combat this, Kotiev boxed on the back foot for much of the contest, scoring with counters and using his footwork to keep him away from trouble as Cardona (146½) made the running. Although Kotiev was shaken up in the second round by a heavy left hook he came back well with left uppercuts and left-right combinations, and despite the Puerto Rican making a strong run from the eighth through to the final bell he failed to make up the deficit. Cardona’s cause was not helped when he had a point deducted for landing repeated low blows in the 11th.